1
as in to fray
to separate the various strands of
it took us forever to unravel the jumbled mass of Christmas tree lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
unraveled the mystery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unravel
Indeed, some of the foundational conditions that drove China’s remarkable growth over the past two decades are unraveling.
—
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Sancho’s nice piece of skill teed-up a great opening goal for Cole Palmer and Richards might have shrunk into himself and unravelled.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Young Thug was arrested on racketeering charges in May 2022 and remained behind bars while the longest case in Georgia’s history yet unraveled.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, several new laws are aimed at tackling crime with harsher sentences, continuing a roll-back of criminal justice reform that has been unraveling for the last couple of years.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unravel 
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Sancho’s nice piece of skill teed-up a great opening goal for Cole Palmer and Richards might have shrunk into himself and unravelled.
—Greg O'Keeffe, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Young Thug was arrested on racketeering charges in May 2022 and remained behind bars while the longest case in Georgia’s history yet unraveled.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2025
Meanwhile, several new laws are aimed at tackling crime with harsher sentences, continuing a roll-back of criminal justice reform that has been unraveling for the last couple of years.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unravel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unravel
Verb
-
The warning frayed nerves of residents who have seen three days of blazes after a massive windstorm Tuesday.James Powel, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
-
But as the edges of the world grow frayed by human hands, the untouched wilderness has become increasingly elusive.Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Also, because of this decision in Florida, more states will begin to enact similar legislation regarding AOB's and other reforms—implemented to solve the litigation crisis that's plagued Florida since abusive AOB's first appeared in property insurance claims.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Big spending couldn’t solve Tennessee’s issues last offseason.Fox News Staff, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The 12-team Playoff’s debut has raised several talking points to untangle.Sam Khan Jr., The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
-
To help untangle this mystery, in 2022 the World Wildlife Fund launched an initiative called ShellBank, which aims to use genetic analysis to trace sea turtle products to their points of origin.Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The credit card transaction would fail, at which point the attackers provide a link to an app to resolve the problem.Zak Doffman, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
-
Today, in the more than two hours that the justices heard from attorneys for the government, the company and TikTok creators, the justices several times raised the possibility of putting the law on hold until underlying issues are resolved.Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The sense that any one of their lives could suddenly be upended by the chance to emigrate is felt in every scene, as if the reality of contemporary Cuba could not be disentangled from its increasingly porous relationship to the world at large.Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
-
However, as his work is soaked in fantasies about violent death, his final act is hard to disentangle from his books.Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, Cunanan answered correctly and clinched the win with a final score of $19,400.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Hosting the sport’s leading event has raised many questions for Saudi Arabia to answer — most notably regarding human rights and specifically the treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ+ community.David Ornstein, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In rare cases, a volvulus can partially resolve on its own if the twist or obstruction is not severe and the intestine untwists spontaneously.Sarah Jividen, Health, 22 Sep. 2024
-
It’s got a rubber bumper around the upper rim that makes the lid a breeze to untwist and a protective bumper at the base that keeps it from easily toppling over.Alaina Chou, Bon Appétit, 6 Aug. 2024
Verb
-
What’s more, giving yourself space to rest and introspect could help you unsnarl a problem that’s been weighing you down lately.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2022
-
Supply chains have started to unsnarl, and commodity prices for oil and some grains have dipped after surging amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022
Thesaurus Entries Near unravel
Cite this Entry
“Unravel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unravel. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share